Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-03-08
TIE FATE OF PHARAOH.

THE FATE or PHARAOH
n the editor Of the DENocR,r and iis
reader. are no, quite tired Of "Pharaoh,'
nor wholly out Of patience with critic.
and defenders. nor hopelessly PerpleHed
by the monneh's disaPpearanes in the
R.d Sea. and hi. recen, mummihsd re''
direction from al Egyp,ian tonib. they
may siill endure that stranger sholld
come into the discussion fof a moment.
a, did poor Job. last comforter. and
With hi. word. chap. %: 9-lO) "'ho"
mine opinion"
"I.., the shoemaker stick 10 bis last
/, an old maxim. which can be freely
p,raphrA,,d.-lc; no, ih, elln.digser
Try TO teach Greek 'unls" be has learn
ed ~. nor the ,in.peddlsr stop IN h'
psr.mbula,ion, 20 advertise lectures on
the Temple. Of Thsbs. or the Ooeli'k' OF
Hsliopoli.. Or ia other wofd', We who
are ignonn, mus, bow before the wise
and the unia,iruc,cd in the ptesence OF
the .AvAn, mus, .it dumb exesp, hambly
% ask questions. The bookvorm shut
in hi, library may no, presume TO teach
the farmer of Od OXfofl when and how
20 ho, beans. nor should the latter ,'y 10
snish,sn the former on the metres OF
Anaereon. The sayants have spoken
the experts have testified We, ignorant
ones, must bow 10 their superior kno"l'
elge.
Dslving ArchAeolosi'i, ia the Old ,omb'
by The Nile. have brough, out = mum.
mi,d Pharaoh. The wise have studied
The ancient labclins. and have read the
name. We. uniniiiaisd In antiquities.
will gsrs Ani ~onlsr. Ani say. verify. i'
4. even 90 We INST feel confidence in
their conclusion. because they have The
requisite knoslsdss ChamPollioa did not
labor IN y.ia. Inscription, on mummy
case. the labels ofpapyrus are no longer In
an unknown ,oagae Prof Ma'Pero
may well BE- elaicd with the notable dis
oosery a, D.yr,l. B-harf.
Bi, doab, Ari.s. in the hill.iovns Of
OSfofl County. Faith And unbelisf ,ili
I,,ls With friends. a. friendly knish"
may DO. Did the real Pharaoh ever
gain a tomb eIeep, IN the engilhns VA
t-ri /, this embAlmcd parsonage.
ra,hlss,ly dragged oai Of hi' resting.
place after thirty centuries, the identical
monarch. Who would not le, Israel 20 :
lfihs critic. doab, the iak. ii il hum
bly, .ug. .e,ied tha, vi'iijo library. or
better. 10 the museum. Of Egyptian an
iiqli,is, will be instructive. A rich
COLLECTION illustrating every phase Of life
.nd 40 can be seen no further away than
Bl.,on II d3abi-r demuf OF dsny
that these hiagi unrollsd rscenily a,
B5alsk. ATE the yeri,Able Ss,i 7. or Ram
s.ss 10 and iu. then ls, them apply 10.
eiAl snd pa,isn, study in the tack OF
pas, Investigators. Oaly lack Of brains
and jldsmen, will fail Of the same con-
elu.ioas. When Bug.eh. aud Wllkin'
,oa. and Birch. and MasPero speak We
Who have no, the A BIC Of ESyp,ian
science mus, bow our caadii and
honofing assent.
Reverence for the literal text Of the
Bible. az exhibited. i, indeed PrAi sswor.
thy. aud /, commended. May il never
be less Ia the readers Of the DENocRAr.
whA, d,e. To B10t teach concerning
the ia.en..,e king. who. sabiaed by dis
a.rou, plague, yielded TO Moses re-
quest. and then Ia rage drove his army
after the fdsi,ives IL may be pertinent
20 quote % wsishiy authority a. Smith :
Bible Dictionary article by X. 5. Poole,
Brit. Museum Whether he himself
va. dro~ned ha, been considered a mat.
Ter OF uncertainty. as !, i not - stated
In the Aceoun, of the Exodus. No'
doe. the writer give a more eIpliei, oPin.
ion. We may notice ,hA, the Revised
Version dimin.she. the positive force OF
the prophecy in Ey. a:lj. There Is evil
dsnily a marked absence In the nara
,iyrs of clear statement that Pharaoh
Va. included in the overwhelming. "Pha.
r.oh'. horses. bis chario,s. hi, horsemsn
were pushed forward in iha, track IN the
sea. upon these the water. came. These
were seas, into the Sea- ellis chosen
CAPTAINS are drownei" Bi, not word
include. the hAugh,y monarch himself
Indeed. whA, is the value Of the l9'h
verse Of the l5ih chap. "For the horse
Of Pharaoh went ia with hi. ehariois and
hi. horsemen into the Sea- Why this
mention Of the horse, |, hi, a posi-, i've
exclusion Of Pharaoh Il this plain
instance ofA custom ,ha, a king should
send hi, ehArili. or bis eaPa'''onsd ',eed
20 lead his army. .. an equisAlen, OF hl,
p,e,enes and a sign Of his authority :
Did the royal psrson keep ou' OF harm :
way, From the overlooking shore did
he diree, the movement, Of bis host,
ssnIing command. to hi, chosen cap
tain. TO hasten the pursuit. This Is
wholly in keeping with royalty IN war;
and even with generAlship in modern
campaigning. The book Of Exodus fails
Of clear evidence; will allow |. many
doubt. As the coa,rary. Oa the Other
hand |. one statement in tie book o'
P.alm.; one line Of oriental poetry. i''
proud sweep includes all IN the common
'.oyer,hrow." |, was a sufficient over
,hrow-''shaking off for Pharaoh In
thA, catastrophe. crushing TO his hoPe'
..d rase.-if hi. own life was spared
Ia, high wrough, poetry must always
be interpreted with care for h'''ofiea
ure-.
But let the utmost be granted; plAe'
IN. oppre..Or Of Israel in the foreiront
Le, him be the hr, TO cover before tn
rush Of the heaped waters. and vainl.
10 struggle with bis fate. lie, Il b
literally thA, not one remained. and b
the sure,t victim. wha, them Doe
that prove no mummy Of that tyran
king could fad . rssting.place In tn
palace ,ombs Of Egyp,s Was this bur
| i.l in the Red Sea final. Was nevs
a corpse recovered , On the eonirar
the record /, explicit ;-"lsrael saw th
Egyptians dead on the seashore." Th
waters did their appointed work. but n
tumultuous surge aud swell swept th
d,ovned pursuers up, and tossed thei